 The
historically registered, “Cordelia
A. Culbertson” house was designed by the architects Greene & Greene
from 1911 – 1913. It is an 8600 sf home, with the principal
rooms arranged in a “U” configuration around a central courtyard.
It reflects
a mastery of architectural detailing and is resplendent with Asian and Classical
motifs. Light is abundant due to the open floor plan, as is the continual views
to the garden, pergola and courtyard. The home reflects the Architect’s
departure from the typical Arts & Crafts home they had previously designed……… it
explores the use of a light colored gunite on the exterior walls, multi-colored
green tiled roof and single story elevation facing the street. The interior spaces
are flooded with natural light which is enhanced by the luxurious wall finishes
of sculptured plaster, rich fabric wall coverings and unique marble fireplace
surrounds.
The home reflects the emergence of the California lifestyle…….where
the interior and exterior delineation is blurred……… where
light, air and openness provide a welcome serenity.
There is an elegance and timelessness to the house, which is as true today
as when it was completed in 1913. The view to the garden and courtyard
provide not only light but also a continual reference to nature.
My philosophy for the interior design was to honor and
respect the architectural envelope of the home, but, interpret the interior
furnishings for a 21st Century family…….hence, the interior
detailing, original paint color and texture and color of the wallcovering
were duplicated as closely as possible. The color scheme deviated from
the original furnishings, instead I focused on seamless transitions of
warm neutrals, rich wood tones and accents of color pulled from the original
marble fireplace surrounds and the colors of the garden.
After extensive research of other rug designs and manufacturing processes,
Tufenkian Carpets had the elements that were critical for the project…….a
lushness of feel in the quality of the wool, loft in the thickness of the
carpets, the ability to customize design elements, beautifully dyed wool
yarn colors and the ability to produce rugs in extremely large sizes.
The Gallery, which is a space which runs the length (9’ x 50’)
of one side of the “U” configuration of the home, and connects
the Bedroom areas from the Living spaces, is a dominate visual benchmark
and has the most foot traffic. It was the jumping off point for all of
the rug designs to follow.
I selected a design that was bold enough to have impact, but organic in
motif so that adjacent rugs could be equally important visually. The “Ven” rug had custom yarn colors (both wool and silk) and an addition of a looped
segment of the design in silk yarn to visually spark the subtlety.
The adjacent Garden Room rug, “Cloud Nine” was again an organic
design motif……silk and wool…custom colored to coordinate
with the Gallery rug…….where the Gallery rug had a linear
design, weighted on one side; the Garden Rm. rug was a swirl design. The
juxiposition of both gave each the importance required.
The Foyer or entrance of the house looks out on an arbor with draping
vines. The “Floral
Cascade” was used to recall the exterior garden and introduce the
color palette, again using a combination of silk and wool. The design was
modified by spreading the floral sections of the design to saturate the
perimeter of the rug, which anchors it visually.
The Living Room rug, “Inverness” 16’ x 25’, was
the only rug in the house that has specific overtones in the design motif
that herald back to the Arts & Craft era. The rug was modified to delete
a strong band of color/floral motif in the original design……which
I felt disturbed the flow of the flowers and vines and detracted from the
condensed floral motif at the perimeter of the rug. The rug was produced
in custom colors; a combination of silk and wool…..the design elements
were enlarged to the scale of the rug.
The Dining Room rug “Chrysanthemum” was
the brightest in coloration. The motif was of a more traditional design,
but the randomness of the motif lent an updated and timeless look. The
colorations were customized to coordinate with the original Numidian marble,
which was used as the fireplace surround. Wool and silk were again used
to add another dimension
when viewed in daylight or artificial light.
The Ballroom rug, “French Tulip” was the largest of the rugs,
measuring 18’ x 36’.
The design was impressive in its size and had a large portion of negative
space between the elements.
The custom coloration was bold and also unexpected, which again updated
a more traditional floral into a fresh approach. The strength of both color
and motif stood up against the 20’ high ceiling and original gold
gilt chandeliers.
The Master Bedroom / Bathroom /Sitting
Room rugs, “Melody” and “Cameo” were
custom colored for a quiet, sophisticated appearance. The transition of
the rug designs from room to room was an integral part of making the Master
suite cohesive.
Article by Kilian Associates |
